You Were Warned, Mabel Lou!

Most Californians are unnerved by the sound of glass doors rattling. It often sets off an ingrained fear response leftover from some earthquake and invokes a flight or fight (mostly flight) emotion. The sound of mirrored closet doors rattling is frequently the first warning sound that something is geologically amiss. I can give myself the heebie jeebies simply looking for something to wear! I have to remind myself that it is ME making those sounds.

The worst is when the shower doors rattle. That primal fear wells up and is made worse by the knowledge that I am cold, wet and naked and therefore in no condition to run for my life lest I scare the life out of the hundreds of school children across the street! I HATE that sound.

And yet, I've heard it almost daily for weeks now. No, we aren't having earthquakes. But my senior dog is having issues. She used to happily sun bake while I showered. Or jump onto my bed and wait where she could see into the bathroom. Since getting on the bed on her own is no longer possible (yet she can do it when I'm NOT at home...), she started waiting on her dog bed... a mere tail and a half's length from my bathroom door. But a few weeks ago that all changed...

About two minutes into my shower, she "knocks" on my shower door. Repeatedly. Since it doesn't stop, my fear wells up and I hurriedly rinse my hair or the soap only to realize that NO, we are NOT having an earthquake. My senior dog is having a senior moment.

It's even worse if I bathe at night... she knocks and knocks and knocks until I open the shower door and pet her, reassure her. I leave the door cracked so that she can make sure this shower has not become some magic disappearing mommy device... and she will stick her dang head under the shower to be close to me!! OMD!

If I can calm her down, do you think she would take the mere three steps to her comfy doggie bed??? NO... she waits right outside the miniscule bathroom door.

Today, I told her, "If you intererupt my shower, I'm going to take a picture of you and tell Blogville what a big baby you are!"

Don't even get me started on how hard it is to take a dang iphone pic in the shower... why doesn't that thing have a trigger button??? But here's my proof. My rottenweiler is a big ole baby!

You were warned Mabel Lou....